I am back from Charleston, SC. I tried to post to the blog on the ipad from there, and the interface was just too clunky. Friend Giovanna McCarthy told me there was an app for “WordPress,” so I downloaded that a few days ago, but have not yet tried it out. I LOVE the ipad. It’s so easy and light when traveling. So, the blog below was written on April 26, just before I came home on the 29th.
Turkey Tracks: April 26, 2013
Chickens Gone
I’m in Charleston celebrating the arrival of a new granddaughter, a family wedding, and visiting with my children and grandchildren.
I left the chickens free-ranging and unfenced–as I have for the past few springs. They had such a long, hard winter this year.
Just got word that FOX has eaten all of my chickens but one black hen, who is now locked up in the coop and cage.
May 8, 2013
Update: the surviving black chicken was Rosie, the purebred Maran hen. What a lovely surprise. Now if I can find another Maran rooster…
My dear friend Rose Thomas has gifted me with three of her hens–all in the Americauna line. They are very busy laying the most beautiful eggs. Pictures will follow when they’ve settled down.
Right now they think I’m the devil since I had to dust them all and coat their legs with vaseline to halt any of the lice-like bugs that get under the scales of their legs. Dusting involves holding them upside down by their legs, and it scared them to death. Of course. In a large flock like Rose has, it’s really hard to organically control lice and mites in the flock. I am tempting them each day with many treats so they begin to associate me with nice things.
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I am sorry not to have posted on this blog sooner, but I have been so busy “catching up” here. Today David Hannan came and we worked from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. when I quit for the day. He kept working until 3. I am so grateful to him for coming to help me with the spring tasks. David picked up the winter boardwalk that Mike put down last fall. And, together (but mostly David), we brought out all the lawn furniture and pot stands and wind chimes and hummingbird feeders and temporary fencing from the top of the garage and put all in their spaces on the three porches and in the yard. We put up the summer chicken fence and fenced the garden with the new green metal rods I bought this week. Part of this fence will become permanent. And, David showed me how to use a crow bar to dig a hole–which he did–to sink the pea poles deeper into the ground. David did more clean-up, like the path to the meadow and odd raking back of stones that have slid around over the winter. And he blew off all the stones and grit from the driveway so that when it rains tonight and tomorrow, the driveway will get all clean.
He has promised to come next week to help me pot up and plant all the flower containers and to carry the pots to their places around the porches. One more day should finish up the spring clean-up. I will mow the lawn as soon as the rain stops.
YEAH!!!! So many really hard tasks completed today!!!! And it is always fun
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